gay marriage

Portsmouth will host its first Pride festival this weekend. Festival organizers say the festival has been in the works since early winter. Now that the Supreme Court upheld gay marriage in all 50 states, Seacoast Outright board chair Chuck Rhoades says, "I think there’s a little extra oomph, a little extra joy, and another reason to celebrate."

Seacoast Outright is a nonprofit that supports LGBT youth. The organization faced funding and volunteer shortages last year. With a new board and director, Rhoades says, the group is revitalizing.

States cannot keep same-sex couples from marrying and must recognize their unions, the Supreme Court says in a ruling that for months has been the focus of speculation. The decision was 5-4.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, seen as a pivotal swing vote in the case, wrote the majority opinion. All four justices who voted against the ruling wrote their own dissenting opinions: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

Concord Monitor Reporter Clay Wirestone has been writing about his experience as a gay parent. He’s authored a series of articles about the process he and his husband have gone through in adopting their 2 year old son. The series has also looked at the history of gay adoption in the Granite State. Clay joins us to talk about the series.